The Victorian Ships' Graveyard was the official dumping ground for Melbourne's unwanted hulls: an unregulated 'outer Heads' area used from about 1900, and from 1932 the proclaimed Commonwealth Area No. 3, a 6 km circle about 10 km south-west of Barwon Heads in 40–60 m. More than 46 vessels were stripped, towed out through The Rip and sunk with gelignite between 1913 and 1971, and all are protected historic shipwrecks. Edward Northcote was the sister of the H.C.

Piggot: a steel steam hopper barge of 495 tons gross, 48.7 m (159.8 ft) long with a 54-horsepower steam engine, built by Fleming and Ferguson at Paisley in 1911 for the Melbourne Harbour Trust and named for a Trust commissioner. She arrived in Port Phillip on 26 May 1912. In October 1917 the Navy requisitioned her as a minesweeper for the approaches to Port Phillip, returning her early in 1918, and she then went back to forty years of carrying dredge spoil.

She outlasted all the other Trust barges, and was scuttled on Thursday 6 November 1952. The wreck lies in about 52 m at the western end of the ground, close to the Wareatea. The Scuba Doctor records that lots of the Edward Northcote still remains – the hull is substantially intact – that the propeller is still on the wreck, and that the boilers were removed before scuttling, which distinguishes her from the Piggot with its boiler cluster.

Expect the layout of the Trust barges: bow and stern sections standing, an open hopper with strongback amidships, the engine space aft, all under the sponge and zoanthid growth typical of the western Graveyard, with ling, bullseyes and crayfish in residence. At 52 m she is a normoxic-trimix dive at the deeper end of that range, and she is dived less often than her sister because there is more decompression for a similar wreck. She suits technical divers working through the western group, and pairs naturally with the Wareatea on a two-dive day.

Divers interested in the Trust's fleet can compare the four Paisley and Renfrew barges – Batman, Fawkner, Piggot and Northcote – all within two kilometres of one another.

Boat only. The western end of the Ships' Graveyard sits 8–12 km south of Barwon Heads and is normally reached from Queenscliff Harbour (Red Boats, Dive Victoria Group technical charters) – a 40–60 minute run out through The Rip and west along the Bellarine coast – or occasionally from the Barwon Heads river ramp in a small boat when the bar is flat. Drive Melbourne–Queenscliff via the Geelong Ring Road and Bellarine Highway (about 1 h 40 min).

Technical charters usually load at the harbour before dawn to get the wreck dived before the afternoon sea breeze. Private boats need a reliable sounder and the published GPS marks, as nothing shows on the surface.

Fully exposed Bass Strait. South-westerly swell is the killer: most charters will not run on a forecast over about 1.5 m, and anything from the south or west over 2 m makes the site undiveable and the passage through The Rip dangerous. Northerly and north-easterly winds flatten the sea; a calm morning after several settled days gives the best visibility (often 15–25 m in autumn and winter).

Surge is felt on the wreck in any swell over 1 m. Tidal streams outside The Heads are weaker than inside but still run; charters aim for slack water at Port Phillip Heads or a favourable tide for the transit. Winter westerlies close the site for weeks at a time.

The wreck sits in or near the shipping approach and pilot boarding ground, so a shot line, surface cover and a delayed SMB are mandatory.

Shot amidships. Run forward over the hopper to the bow and back along the other side to the stern, where the propeller remains; 20 minutes covers the 49 m hull. Ascend the shot with 30–40 minutes of decompression.

Pairs with the Wareatea 422 m east.

Technical (decompression) dive. Trimix only (18/45 or 15/55) with EAN50 and oxygen deco; a 20 min bottom time typically needs 45–60 min of staged decompression. CCR-friendly with a bailout plan sized for the full ascent.

Drop a weighted shot on the wreck, use a delayed SMB from the wreck or a decompression trapeze under the boat; the site is in a shipping approach so free-drifting deco is discouraged.

No scheduled recreational charters. Red Boats (Queenscliff), Dive Victoria Group and Bay City Charters' technical boat run deep Graveyard charters on request or a few times a season for Melbourne technical clubs (Divernet 2024 also names Chimney Rock Charters and Scubabo); otherwise private technical boats only. Expect the wreck to see only a handful of dives a year.